Tuesday was a short run day. I only had two miles to run so it wasn't a big deal but my knee was going to determine how far I went. I made sure that I stretched really good before I started and I walked a quarter mile to warm up my IT band. Everything was fine initially. I started running and had no pain...until I hit 1.25 miles. My knee instantly started hurting with the exact same pain from Sunday. So, as I had been told, I stopped immediately and just walked back to the car. I was extremely disappointed that I couldn't go any further. I guess that I had not let it rest enough. I have been icing it here and there still and doing some stretching with it as well. It has not hurt at all - aside from that particular run.
Yesterday was a gym day so I finally made it there about 8:00 last night. I worked arm, chest and abs again. I'm really starting to lean up throughout my upper body! I'm working on a clean eating diet right now so that I can get this layer of fat off the top of my abs. I'm ready for them to pop! I seriously never EVER thought that I would want to be in shape like this but I'm totally into it right now. I don't think that I'll ever be into that bodybuilding stuff but check this girl out. Jamie Eason I don't want to be as big as she is but she is very lean but still has a very feminine look. I'm not into that muscly, boy look. No thanks! I just want to be little and lean :) And...I'm on my way there!
Today is supposed to be a run day but I think I will probably lay off the knee for a few more days. I want to run so bad but I do not want this IT issue to become a serious problem vs just the nuisance that it is now. So...a few more days of babying it and then I'll be ready to roll...HOPEFULLY!
As for life, the boys are better! Hurricane Gustav is headed our direction so John has been going crazy with all of the preparations for it with work. Work is kinda busy for me right now since it is the end of the month. I've been looking forward to the 3 day weekend but with Gustav rolling in...I'm not so sure how much I'm looking forward to it at this point! John will be working as soon as it starts to come in so it will be just Bodie and I! Worse case, we'll just head out of town to see some friends north of us. Or, maybe go visit some family. Who knows?! Either way...it might get eventful around here soon!
Thursday, August 28, 2008
Monday, August 25, 2008
Shoes...Arches...Aches
I learned today that I have high arches and that they are falling when I walk and/or run. Um...okay? Apparently, my old shoes weren't supporting my arches enough and that is the likely cause of my knee issues from yesterday. My ankles were turning in while I was running and it put additional pressure on my iliotibial band - the source of the pain in my knees yesterday. So...a nice chunk of change later I have some new Nikes, arch support insert thingies (you like that technical term, huh?), new synthetic socks and a desire to purchase the Nike Sportband.
About the Nike Sportband...I wish I knew someone who was using it. I didn't even realize that my shoes were compatible with it until I was paying for them. Nike initially had a chip that would sync with your iPod but now it syncs with a wrist band that reads out the data while you run. Once you are done, you can hook it up to your computer and it will track all sorts of fun stuff. You can check your distance, calories, pace, etc. On the computer it tracks all of your data and you can compare your runs and progress. I have a feeling I'll cave pretty soon and get one!
On the home front, Bodie has bronchitis and John is really sick as well. I did manage to still get to the gym somehow today. I didn't do any cardio or anything that used legs. Just worked arms, chest and abs. Before I worked out I had the lady measure me because it had been a while. So far, I have lost 9 1/2 inches total! I was totally stoked!! Best news I heard all day...for sure!
Tomorrow, its back to the start of the training. Going to hopefully make it the 2 miles I have to run with no pain in my knees. If it does start to hurt, I am supposed to stop running immediately. No fun! I'm keeping my fingers crossed that this new shoe setup does the trick!
About the Nike Sportband...I wish I knew someone who was using it. I didn't even realize that my shoes were compatible with it until I was paying for them. Nike initially had a chip that would sync with your iPod but now it syncs with a wrist band that reads out the data while you run. Once you are done, you can hook it up to your computer and it will track all sorts of fun stuff. You can check your distance, calories, pace, etc. On the computer it tracks all of your data and you can compare your runs and progress. I have a feeling I'll cave pretty soon and get one!
On the home front, Bodie has bronchitis and John is really sick as well. I did manage to still get to the gym somehow today. I didn't do any cardio or anything that used legs. Just worked arms, chest and abs. Before I worked out I had the lady measure me because it had been a while. So far, I have lost 9 1/2 inches total! I was totally stoked!! Best news I heard all day...for sure!
Tomorrow, its back to the start of the training. Going to hopefully make it the 2 miles I have to run with no pain in my knees. If it does start to hurt, I am supposed to stop running immediately. No fun! I'm keeping my fingers crossed that this new shoe setup does the trick!
Sunday, August 24, 2008
Sunday, Runday
Today was my Sunday, Runday. As I mentioned, Tropical Storm Fay entered the area on Saturday and dumped a ton of rain on central Mississippi. Knowing that I had to run 6 miles today, I was determined not to let Fay "Fayz" me. I didn't to do the treadmill things so I went to the park and ran 6 miles in the rain. It wasn't so bad, actually. In fact, I'd prefer to run in the rain every day! Today was the best run I've ever had. I ran the entire 6 miles only stopping once to rehydrate myself. I wasn't sure I'd be able to do it but the temperature was great and the rain kept me cool. I started off with what was supposed to be a waterproof jacket but apparently it was only water resistant. I ran the first mile with that but then shed the jacket and traded out the jacket's hood for a baseball cap. The cap kept the rain from directly hitting me in the face so that was good. The park was completely empty...something I am not used to. I turned up my iPod, thought about life and just ran. As I said before, this was hands down the best run I have had so far!
Once I got home, I took an extremely long shower and then passed out on the couch for a while. When I woke up from my nap, my knees were killing me! I have been icing them down intermittently but they kill when I'm up and walking around. I'm hoping its not a big deal and its just stress from the longer run today. I really can't remember if my knee hurt when I was running today. I don't remember it hurting much but I have a tendency to block out the pain so that I can continue to run. I'm going to get some new shoes tomorrow so maybe that will help!
My "real" first week starts again this week. Looking ahead...it should be pretty simple since I have already done it all once now! Tomorrow will be a gym day...I'm thinking early a.m. as of now. I guess it depends on how these knees of mine cooperate.
6 days down. 111 to go.
Once I got home, I took an extremely long shower and then passed out on the couch for a while. When I woke up from my nap, my knees were killing me! I have been icing them down intermittently but they kill when I'm up and walking around. I'm hoping its not a big deal and its just stress from the longer run today. I really can't remember if my knee hurt when I was running today. I don't remember it hurting much but I have a tendency to block out the pain so that I can continue to run. I'm going to get some new shoes tomorrow so maybe that will help!
My "real" first week starts again this week. Looking ahead...it should be pretty simple since I have already done it all once now! Tomorrow will be a gym day...I'm thinking early a.m. as of now. I guess it depends on how these knees of mine cooperate.
6 days down. 111 to go.
"Running is a big question mark that's there each and every day. It asks you, 'Are you going to be a wimp or are you going to be strong today?'"
- Peter Maher, Irish-Canadian Olympian and sub-2:12 marathoner
Saturday, August 23, 2008
Mom made it into town yesterday morning. I worked a little bit during the day and then spent most of the day in 300 degree weather getting mom's storage unit straightened up. (Okay, so maybe it wasn't 300 degrees but it was VERY close!) We got that all done and then worked on garage sale stuff until late last night. I went to bed WAY late and got up WAY early but we sold everything at the garage sale by 9:15!! I was happy to say the least! Around 9 two ladies walked up and one of them was pregnant. Well...as I mentioned before...we had SO many clothes of Bodie's for sale. The lady who was pregnant told us that she was due in December and having a little boy. That put her in the perfect seasons for Bodie's clothes. We asked her how much stuff she had and she told us that today was the first day she had gone to look for things. We ended up selling her everything we had for one price and it was a SMOKING deal! When we were gathering all of it up (probably $700-800 worth of clothes from newborn to 12 months) she started crying. I started tearing up at that point. I would have just given the clothes to her in that moment. She was so thankful and I know that they were going to a home where they would be appreciated. It was a wonderful, wonderful way to end the morning.
As for the whole workout thing...um..yeah...yesterday I didn't work out or eat very well AT ALL. So, I officially designated yesterday as my cheat day for the week. I'm not sure that I could make it without having a cheat day! Now...by cheat day I don't mean donuts for breakfast, McDonald's for lunch and crap for dinner, too. I had pizza for dinner and several cokes throughout the day. And...I had cinnasticks, too! It was SOO good! Thank God for cheat days :) (In my own defense - I did have a grilled chicken salad for lunch, granola bar for breakfast and plain popcorn for a snack. Not terrible!)
Mom is headed home in a while and I'm planning to head to the gym after I take her to the airport. Tropical Storm Fay is headed into town this afternoon. It should be raining pretty good here really soon. The worst part of that...I have to run 6 miles tomorrow on a treadmill or in the rain. I'm thinking rain it will be! Someone will be getting new shoes FOR SURE!
I hope everyone has/had a great weekend... I'll let you know how the 6 mile thing works out.
Thursday, August 21, 2008
Day 3 of My Not Really First Week
I decided that the hardest thing about running 5 miles is the time commitment. I knew that I had things to do this morning for work so I put off my run until the afternoon/early evening. I had hoped to get to run this afternoon before picking up Bodie from daycare but I got tied up with several things and that didn't happen. After getting home from work, I finally made it to the park to run.
As for the run...it was hot but not smoking hot so that helped. The 5 miles today were composed of one warm up mile, three miles, and a cool down mile. I'm not so good at "warm up" yet and tend to only warm up for about the first 1/4 mile. And...another thing I have to work on...I tend to want to pick up other people's paces if I get close to them or they start to pass me. I think it will help me in some ways but not just yet. I need to get used to my own pace first! During the run my left knee started hurting so bad once I got about 3/4 of a mile in. I just ran through it and it eventually subsided. Then, my left calf started getting really tense like I was getting a cramp in it. Owww! I read that when training like this you totally have to put mind over matter and I'm already seeing that. I wanted to stop running all together after I finished the first mile but I wouldn't let myself. And...it was very tempting to only do about a 1/4 mile for my cool down but I kept going!
I think I'm going to try to find those new shoes this weekend. I'm hoping that will help with my knee issue. I don't have to run again until Sunday so the next two days will be off days for running. I'm going to hit the gym tomorrow and then Saturday will be my rest day. And, I think I'm going to move my "legs day" at the gym to Friday so that I will have one day of rest between legs and running.I tend to have the pain in my knee the most when I'm running the day after doing legs. I guess I may just have to only do legs once a week for now!
To wrap things up...I started reading Nights In Rodanthe by Nicholas Sparks. I've read it before but when I saw previews for the movie I had to read it again. Just a few pages into the book it talks about running and the father says to the son, "I just hope you're running toward something, not away from something." Now, when I see people running, I think that will always run through my head... Are they running toward something or away?
As for the run...it was hot but not smoking hot so that helped. The 5 miles today were composed of one warm up mile, three miles, and a cool down mile. I'm not so good at "warm up" yet and tend to only warm up for about the first 1/4 mile. And...another thing I have to work on...I tend to want to pick up other people's paces if I get close to them or they start to pass me. I think it will help me in some ways but not just yet. I need to get used to my own pace first! During the run my left knee started hurting so bad once I got about 3/4 of a mile in. I just ran through it and it eventually subsided. Then, my left calf started getting really tense like I was getting a cramp in it. Owww! I read that when training like this you totally have to put mind over matter and I'm already seeing that. I wanted to stop running all together after I finished the first mile but I wouldn't let myself. And...it was very tempting to only do about a 1/4 mile for my cool down but I kept going!
I think I'm going to try to find those new shoes this weekend. I'm hoping that will help with my knee issue. I don't have to run again until Sunday so the next two days will be off days for running. I'm going to hit the gym tomorrow and then Saturday will be my rest day. And, I think I'm going to move my "legs day" at the gym to Friday so that I will have one day of rest between legs and running.I tend to have the pain in my knee the most when I'm running the day after doing legs. I guess I may just have to only do legs once a week for now!
To wrap things up...I started reading Nights In Rodanthe by Nicholas Sparks. I've read it before but when I saw previews for the movie I had to read it again. Just a few pages into the book it talks about running and the father says to the son, "I just hope you're running toward something, not away from something." Now, when I see people running, I think that will always run through my head... Are they running toward something or away?
So today was just a workout day. I finally made it to the gym around 4:00 this afternoon. I did mostly weight training and a little bit of cross training on the elliptical machine. I'm not sure what causes it but whenever I do weight training it makes my knee hurt like crazy!! I'm not a big fan of the "runner look" where people just get all skinny and bony looking and have very little muscle on them. I realize that I am a long, long way from that point but still...I'm not gonna risk it so I make sure that I keep those gym visits pretty regular!
I think that my biggest challenge so far is time management. Having a pretty demanding job and a family doesn't make things easy when it comes to working out. It took me nearly a year and half after Bodie was born to realize that the gym wasn't just going to show up in front of me each day. I had to make time for it. So, finally, I'm working on it. I really think that early in the morning would be the easiest time to get my runs in or get to the gym but I just cannot do it most days. I am SO not a morning person. I must say that I have definitely gotten better since Bodie was born but I would totally sleep in nearly every day if given the chance! And...my energy level at 5am is virtually nonexistent.
In other news...My mom is coming in town Friday morning! Unfortunately, she'll only be here for two days. She is coming back to sort through her furniture and stuff that she has in storage here. The June Lake real estate market is showing NO signs of turning around as far as commercial properties go. And because of that, she'll be staying put for a while so it is time to get her "stuff" that she's had packed away in storage for a while. In addition to that, we're having a garage sell on Saturday as well. Oh. My. God. I've had one garage sell ever and I'm pretty sure this might be my last one. We kept nearly every item of clothing we had for Bodie and we're finally getting rid of it! It has taken FOREVER to go through all of it and get it ready. I'm looking forward to mom being here but I'm sooo looking forward to this sale being OVER!
So tomorrow will be a run day. Have not decided if I am doing an AM or PM run at this point. Including warm up and cool down I will run 5 miles. I've never "had" to run 5 miles before but I'll be fine. I pulled 5 miles in the gym the other day so I can do it again. Thank God for iPods!!
2 down. 115 to go.
I think that my biggest challenge so far is time management. Having a pretty demanding job and a family doesn't make things easy when it comes to working out. It took me nearly a year and half after Bodie was born to realize that the gym wasn't just going to show up in front of me each day. I had to make time for it. So, finally, I'm working on it. I really think that early in the morning would be the easiest time to get my runs in or get to the gym but I just cannot do it most days. I am SO not a morning person. I must say that I have definitely gotten better since Bodie was born but I would totally sleep in nearly every day if given the chance! And...my energy level at 5am is virtually nonexistent.
In other news...My mom is coming in town Friday morning! Unfortunately, she'll only be here for two days. She is coming back to sort through her furniture and stuff that she has in storage here. The June Lake real estate market is showing NO signs of turning around as far as commercial properties go. And because of that, she'll be staying put for a while so it is time to get her "stuff" that she's had packed away in storage for a while. In addition to that, we're having a garage sell on Saturday as well. Oh. My. God. I've had one garage sell ever and I'm pretty sure this might be my last one. We kept nearly every item of clothing we had for Bodie and we're finally getting rid of it! It has taken FOREVER to go through all of it and get it ready. I'm looking forward to mom being here but I'm sooo looking forward to this sale being OVER!
So tomorrow will be a run day. Have not decided if I am doing an AM or PM run at this point. Including warm up and cool down I will run 5 miles. I've never "had" to run 5 miles before but I'll be fine. I pulled 5 miles in the gym the other day so I can do it again. Thank God for iPods!!
2 down. 115 to go.
Wednesday, August 20, 2008
I'm going to have to get some new shoes soon. I've been reading about the latest, greatest shoes but I'm not sold on anything just yet. I'm sure that I'll probably have to try on 100 pair before I decide on some. I was checking out shoes on Zappos and I had to post some of the shoes I saw.
This is a look I hoped would never come back around. Seriously?!
This is kinda like fishnet gone bad. Real bad.
These say to me...Hello, Ballet! Meet Concrete. Concrete, Meet Ballet.
No need to worry about running through dog poo. It'll blend right in.
I really could go on and on but I think you get the point. But...to finish things up. Here is a picture of the ugliest shoes in the world.
To anyone who is a parent and lets their child wear these shoes - or, God forbid, you wear them yourself - the shrunken clown shoe look is NOT cute. Spare your child the agony. Or, if they must wear them, at least get them a red rubber nose to complete the look!
In all seriousness (although Crocs being extremely ugly is a very serious matter), today is a gym day. Running will resume again tomorrow!
Tuesday, August 19, 2008
Day 1 of My Not Really First Week
As I mentioned in my last post, I never have been a big fan of running. I knew that if I was going to do this I just had to start running and not look back or I probably wouldn't make it to the end. I've been running for about two months now just building up stamina, working on breathing and distance, etc. I've been pretty anxious about starting the actual training for the half marathon.
Yesterday I finally got around to printing out the schedule for the training. It is a 16 week training and on the last day of the training, you run the half marathon. (For those that are interested, the program came from Smartcoach at Runner's World.) I got home last night, was looking over the program and realized that in typical Michelle fashion...I was off by a week and the half marathon is actually 17 weeks away. Nice! To make up for it, I decided that I would just start Week 1 of the program and re-run it again next week. Then, I'll be on track!
Today was the first day of the not so first week. I only had to run two miles today so it was a breeze. The program has suggested paces and I'm running about two minutes faster than I should be. I'm hoping that will just help me at some point. Something told me that I should run early today because I had a feeling my afternoon would be busy or something would come up. And...I was right. As usual :) My afternoon at work was busy and it started to rain! I'm not a big fan of running on treadmills so I'm glad I got my run in early and didn't have to do it at the gym. And as an added bonus - it only felt like 150 degrees outside this morning instead of the normal 200 degrees is usually feels like outside. Oh what I would give to be running at mom's in June Lake where it is 75 and the humidity is around 35%. No wonder so many Olympic runners live near there!
1 day down. 116 to go.
Yesterday I finally got around to printing out the schedule for the training. It is a 16 week training and on the last day of the training, you run the half marathon. (For those that are interested, the program came from Smartcoach at Runner's World.) I got home last night, was looking over the program and realized that in typical Michelle fashion...I was off by a week and the half marathon is actually 17 weeks away. Nice! To make up for it, I decided that I would just start Week 1 of the program and re-run it again next week. Then, I'll be on track!
Today was the first day of the not so first week. I only had to run two miles today so it was a breeze. The program has suggested paces and I'm running about two minutes faster than I should be. I'm hoping that will just help me at some point. Something told me that I should run early today because I had a feeling my afternoon would be busy or something would come up. And...I was right. As usual :) My afternoon at work was busy and it started to rain! I'm not a big fan of running on treadmills so I'm glad I got my run in early and didn't have to do it at the gym. And as an added bonus - it only felt like 150 degrees outside this morning instead of the normal 200 degrees is usually feels like outside. Oh what I would give to be running at mom's in June Lake where it is 75 and the humidity is around 35%. No wonder so many Olympic runners live near there!
1 day down. 116 to go.
In The Beginning
So, for those of you that don't know, I have decided that I want to run a half marathon. I wish that I had a profound explanation as to why I want to put myself through the torture but, alas, I do not. I was driving home from work one afternoon in June and though, I think I'll start running. Much in the form of Forrest Gump, actually. No real reason. Just to run. I set some pretty high goals for myself at work this year and have done mighty well at accomplishing them so far. So, it was time to set some personal goals as well. I started checking out some running sites such as Runner's World and Mississippi Track Club. I quickly decided that I was going to run a half marathon one day and decided it was time to start prepping for it. It helped that there is a half marathon in Madison in December. The biggest shocker of all of this - I HATE RUNNING. Or at least I did! I am finally starting to like it but that's another post for another day. In fact, when I first told John that I was going to start running, he laughed. Yes, really. He knew how much I despised running and I guess he just thought it was funny. I mean, I'm not always the most serious person in the world. And would you believe it...I have been running for about two months now. I have been running about 12 miles or so per week. I have run two 5Ks and I met my goal - finish and not be last! I've lost 13 pounds so far. And for those of you that think I didn't have 13 pounds to lose, I did. Thankyouverymuch. In addition to the running, I'm also working out at the gym two or three days a week as well. And...I am eating much, much better! I'll talk about that later, too!
I hope to get this little blog updated daily or almost daily. This is a quick overview at what I'm doing and why. It should be interesting to see how this turns out. So, here I go!
I hope to get this little blog updated daily or almost daily. This is a quick overview at what I'm doing and why. It should be interesting to see how this turns out. So, here I go!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
Posts
